FEHB and PSHB 2027 Premiums: Every National Plan, Dollar by Dollar

What OPM published, and what the averages hide

OPM’s premium pages carry, for each plan, a biweekly and a monthly chart with the total premium, what the government pays, what the enrollee pays and the change in the enrollee’s portion from last year. The 2027 files list the 2026 and 2027 total premiums and the change in the enrollee’s portion; the 2026 enrollee share below is the 2027 monthly enrollee share minus OPM’s published change (our arithmetic), which we checked against OPM’s own 2026 charts for Blue Cross and Blue Shield FEP Standard ($408.02 Self Only monthly) and GEHA High ($423.13). The monthly figure is the one that fits an annuity paid monthly; the biweekly figures are in the source files OPM publishes.

Source: OPM, 2026 Federal Benefits Open Season Highlights for Plan Year 2027, and the OPM FEHB and PSHB 2027 premiums pages, read November 11, 2026.

OPM says the drivers are rising prices and utilization across inpatient, physician, outpatient and surgical services, continued growth in behavioral and mental health care, and higher prescription drug spending. The percentage is an average of the whole program; it is not what one plan’s members pay. In the nationwide plans below, the change for a Self Only enrollee runs from -16.1% to +63.1% in FEHB and from -4.2% to +49.6% in PSHB (our arithmetic).

FEHB: every nationwide plan, 2026 to 2027

Monthly enrollee premium for 2026 and 2027. “Nationwide” here means the fee-for-service plans OPM lists with the service area “Nationwide”. Regional plans (the Aetna options, Kaiser and the rest of OPM’s HMO file) are not national and are not in this table; they are in OPM’s HMO chart. The change in dollars is OPM’s; the percent is ours (change divided by the 2026 enrollee share).

Source: OPM, FEHB 2027 fee-for-service premium rates chart (py2027/fehb/ffs.xlsx), read November 11, 2026; 2026 shares and percent changes are our arithmetic.

Three things stand out. GEHA Standard, GEHA HDHP and the GEHA Indemnity Elevate option have no change at all in the enrollee share. GEHA High Option falls 14.0% for Self Only (-$59.10 a month) and the Panama Canal Area Benefit Plan falls 16.1% to 20.4% depending on enrollment type. At the other end MHBP Standard Option, the APWU and SAMBA High options, the Foreign Service Benefit Plan High and GEHA Indemnity Elevate Plus are up 28% to 105%.

A worked example (our arithmetic): a Self Plus One enrollee in Blue Cross and Blue Shield FEP Standard pays $890.24 a month in 2026 and $974.76 in 2027, up $84.52 a month or $1,014.24 over twelve months. The same enrollee in GEHA High Option goes from $938.06 to $815.95, down $122.11 a month or $1,465.32 over twelve months. In MHBP Standard Option, from $468.27 to $959.34, an increase of $5,892.84 over twelve months. These compare premiums only; benefits, deductibles and networks differ by plan, and none of this says which plan is better for any reader.

PSHB: every nationwide plan, 2026 to 2027

The Postal Service Health Benefits Program is separate from FEHB, has its own enrollees and its own weighted average, and its plans carry different premiums even when the carrier is the same. OPM publishes its charts on its PSHB premiums page.

Source: OPM, PSHB 2027 fee-for-service premium rates chart (py2027/pshb/2027-ffs.xlsx), read November 11, 2026; 2026 shares and percent changes are our arithmetic.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield FEP Standard in PSHB rises only 3.3% for Self Only ($411.89 to $425.32), against 8.7% for the same-named plan in FEHB. The NALC High Option falls for Self Only (-$11.01) and Self Plus One (-$7.18) and rises $6.39 for Self and Family. MHBP Standard Option Self Plus One rises $398.59 a month (86.8%), the largest PSHB move in the table. GEHA’s two PSHB options are unchanged.

When Self Plus One costs more than Self and Family

OPM states: “In some cases, the enrollee share of premiums for the Self Plus One enrollment type will be higher than for the Self and Family enrollment type.” It lists the plans. For the nationwide plans, the biweekly enrollee shares are:

Source: OPM, FEHB and PSHB 2027 “Self Plus One enrollee premiums greater than Self and Family” charts, read November 11, 2026; difference is our arithmetic.

In FEHB MHBP Standard Option, a Self Plus One enrollee pays $959.34 a month and a Self and Family enrollee $868.35, so choosing Self and Family would cost $90.99 a month less (our arithmetic). OPM says an enrollee who wishes to cover one eligible family member is free to elect either type. Whether that fits you depends on who counts as an eligible family member and on the plan’s own terms; check the brochure and your employing office or retirement system.

How the government share works, and why cheap plans get less

OPM describes the formula: “the lesser of: (1) 72% of amounts OPM determines are the program-wide weighted average of premiums in effect each year, for Self Only, Self Plus One and Self and Family enrollments, respectively, or (2) 75% of the total premium for the particular plan an enrollee selects.” The statute, 5 U.S.C. 8906(b), says it in two sentences: the biweekly contribution “is adjusted to an amount equal to 72 percent of the weighted average” and “shall not exceed 75 percent of the subscription charge”. It applies to “an employee or annuitant”, so the same chart is the one an annuitant reads.

The effect is visible in the table: where a plan’s premium is low, the government pays 75% of it and no more. FEP Blue Focus Self Only in FEHB has a government share of $482.07 a month and an enrollee share of $160.69 (75% and 25% of $642.76). Plans priced above the weighted average get the flat maximum ($762.75) and the enrollee pays the rest, which is why a cost increase in an expensive plan falls entirely on the enrollee: the government’s dollars do not rise with it (our arithmetic).

Medicare Part B: PSHB requires it for new annuitants, FEHB does not in that section

This page does not state the 2027 Medicare Part B premium, because we did not find it in a primary source we could save today. See our pages on Medigap versus Medicare Advantage and IRMAA brackets for the income-related surcharges.

PSHB. Under 5 U.S.C. 8903c(e)(1), “a Postal Service Medicare covered annuitant may not enroll in a Program plan unless the annuitant is entitled to benefits under Medicare part A and enrolled in Medicare part B.” Family members who are covered Medicare individuals must also be in Parts A and B. The exceptions in paragraph (3) include a Postal Service annuitant who, as of January 1, 2025, was not in both parts, a Postal Service employee at least 64 on that date, people living outside the United States, people enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs health care and people eligible for Indian Health Service care. If you think you are in an exception, the statute and the PSHB brochure are the documents to read.

FEHB. The Medicare requirement above is in the PSHB section of the statute. For FEHB, a plan may help with the Part B premium. FEP Blue says on its Medicare reimbursement page that “members who have Medicare Part A and Part B are eligible for a Medicare Reimbursement Account” and that FEP Blue Basic members with both parts can get up to $800 back; “Your 2026 claims must be submitted no later than April 30, 2027.” We did not read other plans’ brochures for this page, so a missing mention here does not mean a plan has no reimbursement.

What a reader can do with this

• Find your plan, enrollment type and option in the table, then open the CSV for the monthly figures. If your plan is a regional HMO, the chart is OPM’s HMO file.
• Compare the dollar change, not just the percent. An 11.0% rise on a $144.76 plan is $15.93 a month; a 3.3% rise on a $411.89 plan is $13.43.
• Check the Self Plus One versus Self and Family reversals if you cover one other person.
• Know the deadline: open season ends December 14, 2026, and enrollment continues from year to year unless a change is made. If your plan is terminating, OPM says you will be enrolled in its default plan unless you choose another.
• Put the premium next to Medicare. Part B, any income-related surcharge and a Medigap or Medicare Advantage plan all change what FEHB or Medicare costs in total; see the pages linked above and our COLA 2027 page for the income side.

More for federal retirees, read from the same kind of primary documents: the 2027 FERS and CSRS COLA by retirement month, FEGLI Option B premiums after 65, the FERS supplement's 2027 earnings limit, FLTCIP premium increases since 2010, OPM's retirement backlog, month by month, keeping the TSP or rolling it to an IRA and the TSP L Funds' allocations and glide paths.

FAQ

Sources: OPM FEHB premiums page and 2027 fee-for-service charts (py2027/fehb/ffs.xlsx, spo-vs-sf.xlsx); OPM PSHB premiums page and 2027 charts (py2027/pshb/2027-ffs.xlsx, pshb-spo-vs-sf.xlsx); OPM 2026 charts (fehb 2026-ffs-premium-rates.xlsx, pshb 2026-ffs-premium-rates.xlsx); OPM, 2026 Federal Benefits Open Season Highlights for Plan Year 2027; 5 U.S.C. 8906 and 8903c (Cornell Legal Information Institute); FEP Blue, Medicare reimbursement page. All read and saved November 11, 2026.